Catch for bird cages



Dec. 25, 1923.

L. J. LEON CATCH FOR BIRD CAGES Filed June 12 1.922

Paaaaa Dec. as, was.

transcares rear LEWICKI :r. Leon, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR 'ro L. a. LEON rare. 00., or CHICAGO, ILLInoIs, A conroaa'rron' or ILLINOIS.

CATCH FOR BIRD CAGES.

Application filed June 12, 1922. Serial No. 567,790.

To all whom-it may concern Be it known that I, LEWIGKI J. LEON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of- Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvements in Catches for Bird Cages, .of which the following is a specification.

This invention-relates to catches for 'releasably locking the cage-body and base of a bird-cage together.

' Among the objects of my invention is to improve the construction of bird-cage catches as will hereinafter more fully' appear and in particular to provide a catch construction adapted for circular bird-cages.

In the accompanying drawings- Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a birdcage provided with catch members of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary top plan viewof one of the catch members and the associated parts of the base and cagebody; I

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a perspectiveview of one of the catch members;

Fig. 6 shows another form of catch member; and

Fig. 7 is a vertical sectional view taken on line .7-7 of Fig. 6.

As illustrated in Fig. 1, the cage comprises a body 1 and a removable base or pan 2, both circular in form and with the top of the cage-body 1 dome-shaped, as shown. The base 2 is provided with an upright mar-- inal wall 2 which at its upper edge has an inwardly extending annular flange 3 to rovide a seat for the base ring 4 surrounding the lower open end of the ca'ge-body 1 and to which the lower ends of the wires 5 extend and are secured, as shown in Fig. 4. The flange 3 also. supports the removable tray 6 carried by the base 2. The marginal portion of the tray 6 is between the flange 3 and the base ring 4, as shown in detail in Fig. 4.

To releasably lock the cage-body 1 and base 2 to ether, I provide a plurality of catch mem ers 7, 7 carried by the base 2 on the outside thereof and spaced apart circumferentially about the same, as shown in Fig. 2. The base flange 3 has a horizontal top flange or portion 8 extending around the same and ofiset upwardly a slight distance from the flange 3 with which it is integrally connected, as shown in Fig. 4. The annular recess thus formed makes an annular seat for the bottom of the cage-body 1 and causes the upper face of the base ring 4 to be substantially flush with the top face of the flange 8.

As shown in the drawings, each catch member 7 has a flat body, semicircular in shape and pivoted on the flange 8 by a pin 9. The flat body of the member 7 has a curved edge 10 on one side-and a straight edge 11 on the other.- Said straight edge 11 is a chord of the circle of which the curved edge 10 is an arc, and the pin 9 is at the. center of the latter. The pin 9 fastens the. catch member 7 close to the inner annular edge of the flange 8, so that-when the catch member 7 is in unlocked position its straight edge 11 'is substantially tangential to' the inner annular edge of said flange 8, as shown in full lines in Fig. 3. By the construction described, the catch member 7 has two portions 12, 12 on opposite sides of the pivot pin 9 and, bein of these en portions 12 to be rotated inward over the base ring 1 when the catch member is turned about its pivot pin, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3. Thus, the catch member 7 will engage the base ring a when turned in either direction because there is a portion 12 on each side of the pivot pin 9 to engage this ring.

To facilitate turnin the catch member 7, the same is rovide with a finger piece 13 arranged a We the same and substantially parallel thereto. Said finger piece 13 is integrally joined at its rear end with the body lpart of the catch member by a flan e 14 his is at the straight edgjg 11 of the body art, as shown in Fig. i. y this construction, the finger piece 13 extends across the top of the b0 y part and is spaced above the same a sufiiclent distance to facilitate rasping it and thus enabling the catch memer to be readily and conveniently turned into and out of locking position.

The diameter of each catch member 7 is such that it does not, whether locked or unlocked, project much over the outer edge of the flange 8. Moreover, the finger pieces 13 do not project beyond the curved edges 10 0i their associated catch members 7. Thus, whether locked or unlogked, the catch memmounted as shown, causes-one are bets 7 do not project outward beyond the base or pan 2 to strike against or catch in surrounding objects when the cage is handled or carried about. By making the catch members 7, 7 in the shape shown, they may be set close to the inner edge of the flange 8 and thus be kept within the outer edges of I the base or pan 2 to gain the advantages mentioned and further enhance the general appearance of the cage by making it free from unsightly projecting parts.

Moreover, the catches 7, 7 being distributed about the base or pan 2, as shown provides a fastening which holds the cage-body the flange 8 and ring 4 permits making them relatively low and thus frees the cage of projecting parts. i

In Figs. 6 and 7, I have shown another form of catch member. This is indicated by 7 and is mounted'on the flange 8 by a pivot pin 9 and turned into and out of lockmg engagement with the base ring 4 of the ca ebody, as before. The catch member 7 di ers from the one 7 heretofore described in that ithas a locking notch or slot 15 opening outward through its straight edge 11, as shown in Fig. 6. This slot 15 is so made that it receives one of the cage wires 5 when turned into locking position engaging over the base ring 4, as shown in full lines in Figs. 6 and 7. At the inner end or base of this slot, there is a shallow recess 16 to accommodate the engaged cage-wire 5 and assist in looking it in said slot. When unlocked, the catch member 7* has its straight edge 11 tangential with the inner edge of the flange 8, as before, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 6. To facilitate turning the catch member 7 the same is provided with a finger piece 17 extending upright from the flat body of the catch member at one end of its straight edge.

While I have shown and described herein in detail catches for bird-cagesof my invention, it is of course to be understood that the details of construction may be variously changed and modified without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

I claim as my invention:

1.- A birdcage, com rising a separable cage-body and base, sai cage-body having a base member about its lower end, said base having a substantially upright surrounding naraaao marginal wall provided at its up er end with an inwardly extending portion orming two upwardly facing flanges, one offset below the other to provide a seat for said base member, and catch members pivoted on the other of said flanges in a manner to be turned in the plane thereof into and out of looking engagement with said base member.

2. A bird-cage, comprising a separable cage-body and base, said cage-body having a base member about its lower end, said base having two upwardly facing flanges surrounding the same, one being below the other and extending inward to provide a seat for said base member, and catch members pivoted on the other of said flanges in a manner to be turned in the plane thereof into and out of locking engagement with said base member, said catch members having arcuate slots to receive the adjacent wire of said cage-body.

3. A bird-cage, comprising a separable cage-body and base, said cage-body having a base member about its lower end, said base having a substantially upright surrounding marginal wall provided at its upper end with an inwardly extending portion forming two upwardly facing flanges, one ofl'set below the other to provide a seat for said base member, and catch members pivoted on the other of said flanges in a" manner to be turned in the plane thereof into and out of Iocking engagement with said base member, said catchmembers having flat body portions with straight edges, the latter clearing the base member of the cage-body when turned into unlocked positions.

4. A bird-cage, comprising a separable cage-body and base, both circular in shape, said cage-body having a ring about its lower end, said base having two upwardly facing annular flanges, one being below the other and extending inward to provide a seat for said ring, and catch members pivoted on the other of said flanges in a manner to be turned in the plane thereof into and out of locking engagement with said ring, said catch members having substantially semicircular flat body portions with curved and straight edges, the latter being tangential to the inner edge of the flange on which said catch members are mounted when the catch members are turned into unlocked positions.

5. A bird-cage catch, comprising a substantially semicircular flat body portion adapted to be pivoted to the base of a birdcage and be turned into and out of locking engagement with the lower part of the separable cage-body thereof, said body portion having a curved edge on one side and a straight edge on the other, and a fin or piece connected therewith and arranged above the same.

6. A bird-cage,

comprising a separable cage-body and base,

and catch members pivill) lid

oted on the base outside of the cage-body in a manner to be turned in the plane thereof, said catch members being spaced apart about said base and having slots to receive the adjacent wires of the cage-body when the catch members are turned into positions to lock the cage-body and base together.

7. A bird-cage catch, comprisin a body part to be pivoted on the base 0 a birdcage, said body part having a hook-shaped 10 portion to engage one of the adjacent wires of the cage-body in turning the catch into position to lock the cage-body and base together.

In test mony that I claim the foregoing is I as my invention, I affix my signature this 6th day of June, A. D. 1922.

LEWICKI J. LEON. 

